Teacher is still learning after all these years

He's an educator, life-long learner, veteran world traveler, grandfather eight times over -- and a budding poet.

He fills his days with golf, reading, extension courses in Shakespeare and computers, socializing with his wife Joan and friends, and doing two crossword puzzles every day.

He also enjoys ministering as a volunteer with the senior group at his parish, St. Teresa of Avila in Albany.

Poet? Know it!

A year ago, he attended a workshop run by a missionary nun who is also a poetess "and a very good one," he recalls. "She said that anybody could write poetry if they wanted to, and I took her up on that. Since then, I've written 40 poems, and she corrects all my grammar."

Mr. Murphy, who has a doctorate and two master's degrees, hadn't seriously studied poetry before. Now, he finds himself fascinated by it. He writes primarily about feelings, on "warmth and kindness," on history, faith, and nature. Sometimes, he writes about people; sometimes, about the places in the world that he has visited, such as Vienna and London.

Rhyme time

"It makes me feel good to share feelings with others," he explained. "It's very dangerous to write poetry because you expose your inner feelings a lot. It's fun to do, because it's an accomplishment that you can see."

Writing poetry isn't all theory, though; it also "forced me to learn how to use a computer," he said with a laugh.

College knowledge

Also, as one of the first men to receive a degree from The College of Saint Rose in Albany when it became co-educational, "I was the only man in a school full of girls, which was great -- until my wife brought the baby carriage and three kids!"

When not in a classroom, he travels: to Salzburg, Austria, where he remembers sitting "at the side of the Danube, looking at the giant mountains coming down and the tiny villages that look like something from Dickens," or to Paris, where he admired the beautiful arches of the Cathedral of Notre Dame.

"We found the French people more than courteous, and we love Paris," he said.

Years and fears

"That's a fear many seniors have," he said, "that they'll live on without friends and family to care for them."

A part of his poem titled "A Quiet Place" details how seniors could begin to come to terms with that feeling. The grave of a loved one, he writes, is where "the unspoken word is heard by those unable to speak/where memories, once dim, return with joy, and pledges made/years ago are renewed for eternity."

Age is the rage

He cites the example of one of the older ladies he visits in his parish ministry. He calls the centenarian "amazing. Her memory is better than yours and mine combined. She can talk about today or 50 years ago, and she's a joy to see. It's one of the most rewarding things I've ever done."

However, seniors should also "know their limitations," and "adjust their expectations about the rest of their years" when planning an active retirement. "You're still the same as you were the night before you turned 65; it's not a different era," he said.

Truth for youth

His grandchildren are at the age where "they can read and listen and appreciate. I want them to appreciate their parents, as I did, and to make the best of what they have. That's success right there.

"I think that you have to be thankful for the gifts that you've received and haven't earned," he continued. "You should use them and not waste them. I think that the most wonderful thing you can do in life is realize how fortunate you've been and use the gifts that God's given you."

(09-26-02) [[In-content Ad]]